Interim ag chief named for county

San Joaquin County's agricultural commissioner, a job charged with helping oversee the county's $2.8 billion a year farm industry, will be filled on an interim basis by Gary Caseri, who formerly held that same post for Stanislaus County.

San Joaquin County's agricultural commissioner, a job charged with helping oversee the county's $2.8 billion a year farm industry, will be filled on an interim basis by Gary Caseri, who formerly held that same post for Stanislaus County.

Caseri, who retired from the Stanislaus post in March 2013 after a 36-year public service career, will provide experienced, knowledgeable leadership while San Joaquin County conducts a careful search for a permanent agricultural commissioner, County Administrator Monica Nino said.

"In this community, with a $2 billion industry in agriculture, it's critical we have strong leadership in that department that works closely with the agricultural community," she said.

To that end, Caseri's appointment - approved Tuesday morning by the county Board of Supervisors - is expected to remain in effect for up to the six months that the search may take.

According to the 2012 Stanislaus County crop report, which was dedicated to Caseri, he took that county's top farm post in March 2008 after serving as Tuolumne County's agricultural commissioner since 2001.

Prior to that, he was Merced County's assistant agricultural commissioner, a job he was promoted to in 1989. Caseri began working for Merced County as an agricultural biologist in 1978.

He started his career in service to the California agricultural community in 1977 as a seasonal pest detection trapper for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The San Joaquin County post was left vacant by the March 31 retirement of Scott Hudson, who served as the commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for 18 years. Hudson began working for the county farm agency in 1979.